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There are so many enjoyable ways to embrace the fall season with style, I'm hoping you'll enjoy this round-up which is filled with chic, savvy and ultimately practical ideas for thoughtful souls. Start With A Rosy Outlook. Did the Vittoria Rose bag in Vogue's premier Fall issue recently catch your eye the way it did mine? Nothing feels better than tucking the latest and greatest handbag under your arm for a small shot of fall confidence. Read More

I’m still kicking myself for loaning an out-of-print monastic cookbook to a fellow “foodie” and friend. Without thinking, I pulled the rare cookbook from my shelf and suggested that a little “light vacation reading” might help occupy time on my friend’s trans-Atlantic flight to Italy. He accepted the book with enthusiasm and thanks. Shortly after take-off, however, my dear friend discovered that the rare cookbook chockfull of hearty stew, winter soup, and peasant bread recipes, was no longer among his personal possessions. Read More

Consider the quantity of time you spend each day caring for your physical body. Do you exercise, shower, shave, moisturize and exfoliate? Do you make time to pluck, wax, brush and color? Now, compare this to the time and energy you put into nurturing your spirit. What would it mean for your soul to be moisturized, hydrated and fed? Read More

Great food and wine go together, and lovers of one are likely to appreciate the other. I’m someone who believes firmly in the symbiotic relationship between the two: A great meal—for me, at least—is somehow incomplete without wine; and a great wine is often lifted even higher by the right food. Readers of Affluent know that, over the past several months, I’ve visited some of the most interesting wine regions in Europe, from Bordeaux to several regions in Austria and beyond. Read More

Holiday feasts are one of the highlights of the year, and sharing foods with our loved ones is a great way to show them how much we care. But for many of us, the same foods appear on the table every year, and there’s nothing new or particularly exciting. The choices may even seem a little tired. And with the increasing attention focusing on where our food comes from, many of us might pick at another dry turkey and wonder what kind of life the bird might’ve had. Read More

All too often, the person we see in the mirror daily is not the one we were born to be. I found that out for myself when I was 17 and got my red dress. My life was changed forever when I saw my “new” self in the mirror. I ditched my habitual “grey mouse” colors and it changed my life. Lynn, an attorney, also discovered that the colors and styles she habitually wore didn’t necessarily enable her to look better or to achieve the results she desired. She learned that the colors she wore were sabotaging her goals. Read More

When making these salads, start with healthy ingredients by using organic, locally-grown produce from farmers’ markets and health food stores. Fresh, local produce contains more nutrients and is picked when naturally ripe. Commercial produce, on the other hand, is picked unripe and treated with ethylene gas to ripen artificially late. Then it is shipped on a week-long, sometimes even month-long, cross-country trip before it is served on your dining table—how’s that for fuel efficiency? Read More

As I travel the country speaking and teaching companies and organizations to play hardball with their soft skills, I am frequently asked, what is it that bothers me mostly when it comes to people who have bad manners? My reply is always the same, I am not bothered by those who do not know the basic rules of etiquette, because there is a good chance they were never taught. In their case, how do you know what you don’t know? That excuse stands to reason. Read More

Summer heat and haze are dissipating and when that happens we see love more clearly without the blurriness of fantasy. While summer is the season of fun, skimpy clothing and lightheartedness like butterflies and bees caressing flower after flower, fall is more serious. The days are shorter with temperatures significantly cooler; in deciduous areas of the country leaves fall to reveal surprising tree architecture and details of homes we never notice in summer. Winter is coming and we make plans to nest and keep warmer. Read More

It's hard to believe we are in the fourth quarter of 2009 and must gear up for our year-end tax planning. You may have seen the joke about the "new 1040" tax return that has only two lines to fill in, which read: 1. How much did you make last year? 2. Send it in! This may be a joke now, but with the new administrations "wealth redistribution" view of future tax codes, it may soon feel like a reality. The top 5% of taxpayers in the country will feel the brunt of it. Read More

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Affluent's mission is to teach its readers how to live with affluence in a holistic, life affirming way, so they get more out of their own lives, share that joy with those around them, and make a difference in this world.

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